


To Live For The Girl

by SkyTintedWater



Category: Claymore (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bechdel Test Pass, Canon-Typical Violence, Misses Clause Challenge, Yuletide Treat 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 12:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16974408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyTintedWater/pseuds/SkyTintedWater
Summary: Teresa of the Faint Smile takes in an orphan girl, against her better judgement. When Clare is taken from her, she does the only thing she can think of: try to get her back.





	To Live For The Girl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> To the only other person who requested Claymore this year.  
> Happy Yuletide, Katana!

When Teresa of the Faint Smile strides into the village she thinks it will be a standard job. She was hired to kill seven Yoma and she’s done five minutes after she arrived.   
She sighs and thinks _this was too easy._  
And then she sees the girl: skinny, scarred, mute. No one seems to want her, and Teresa feels a little bad for kicking the kid so roughly, but this isn’t the first time this has happened to her. She doesn’t need a pet.   
She gives the usual speech about payment and leaves town, the girl not far behind. Teresa is mildly impressed that such a skinny kid can keep up, and annoyed when she realises she’ll have to look after the child so she won’t be blamed for her death.   
Teresa feeds her and makes her wash herself and names her Clare, which turns out be have been her name all along. Teresa finds herself smiling for real, and bit by bit young Clare chips away at the ice surrounding Teresa’s heart. 

***

They took me when I was just a child. They do that, just take girls who have no one to look after them or fight for them. I tried to run away, I tried to fight back, I did everything I could to get back to my Teresa.   
It didn’t work, and they cut me open and put Teresa’s flesh and blood in me. I found it oddly comforting — she was still with me, in the strangest way possible.   
As my training progressed I found it difficult to access my Yoma abilities, much harder than the other trainees. People began to whisper about me, and I learned that Dae had tried a new approach, to use a Warrior’s flesh instead of a Yoma. I was the weakest in my class, and everyone was disappointed in me.   
I didn’t care. I trained and got stronger and waited for my chance to get back to Teresa. It didn’t matter how many times they told me she was dead. I knew she was out there waiting for me, honing her strength like I was.   
We’d be together again one day.

***

Bandits come, because they’re everywhere, and after a mildly unpleasant encounter Teresa gets away. The hardest part was not escaping, it was stopping herself from killing them all where they stood. Teresa has no love for the Organisation but she’d prefer her head stay on her neck where it belongs. So she walks away until they reach a nearby village which she quickly rids of Yoma.   
The next day the bandits attack, and Teresa realises it’s her fault. Clare is tugging on Teresa’s arm, pulling her back towards the village. The silver-eyed warrior closes her eyes and sighs heavily. She knows what will happen if she does what Clare wants, and she does it anyway.   
Teresa doesn’t feel any remorse at killing humans — not the bandits, anyway. Her job is to save humans after all, and there’s not much point if they then turn around and kill each other. So she swings her sword until they’re dead, and then she calls for Clare who was under strict instructions to keep herself hidden, and safe.   
When the townspeople realise what has happened they roar and run towards Teresa. She raises her sword until she realises that they aren’t attacking, they’re _cheering_ for her.   
That’s never happened before.   
She and Clare are offered food and a room in gratitude. Teresa tells them that they can keep their money and this earns them another cheer. After two days they move on, as far away from the town as they can get. They find a clearing and Teresa waits, watching over Clare while she sleeps.   
The next morning, just before dawn, Orsay and the Warriors come, fury and sadness on their faces. Orsay doesn’t have to say anything, he just pulls Clare from her spot by the fire and pulls her back as she kicks and screams.   
Teresa closes her eyes and waits. She’s made her decision.   
The strikes come hard and fast but she’s Number 1 for a reason, and they don’t come close to scratching her. She in turn hurts them enough that they will take a few days to heal, long enough that she and Clare can get away. She grabs the young girl and runs while they’re distracted.   
They’re free now. 

***

I was given the rank of 47 and turned loose on the world. Most of my graduating class, the ones who’d mocked me for not being as strong, hadn’t made it. I’d saved one or two, and even though she wasn’t exactly grateful I was just glad she’d lived.   
I was paired with others, 30 (Helga) and 13 (Jean). Helga was rude and condescending. She had little interest in anything beyond climbing higher in rank and took almost no notice of me. But Jean was kinder, taking the time to spar with me and saving me from a yoma who was much faster than me. I haven’t forgotten her kindness, and I hope one day I can repay it.   
It wasn’t until I was allowed to journey on my own that I found her. Or, rather, she found me — I woke up one morning to see her sitting across from me, wearing the smile she’d had when I first mer her: pretty but so full of pain. I’m not a sentimental person, but it brought tears to my eyes.   
We spent our time divided between talking, sparring and Teresa hiding from Rubel. It was a game to her, and it brought a mischievous spark to her eyes that I hadn’t seen before.   
Under Teresa’s training I got better and better. She taught me to read the flow of my opponent’s yoma energy until I knew when they were going to move before they did. She taught me to direct my own energy only to where I wanted it, without wasting it by sending it elsewhere.   
I rose through the ranks slowly. I kept my growing skills from Rubel, but that man always knew far more than he was supposed to. He kept wondering out loud how I’d improved so much. I never said anything, which was its own clue. Whatever he and the Organisation suspected they could never prove, and so I was free to do as I wished as long as I continued to fulfil their assignments.   
One day Rubel showed up and said, ‘Congratulations Clare. You’ve just been certified as Number 9. You’re a single digit now, and you’ll have many more responsibilities.’  
I usually didn’t pay him much attention but this made me pay attention. ‘9? Last week you told me I was Number 15. What happened?’  
‘14 through 10 were wiped out by an Awakened one. You’re being sent to take it down. Meet the other Warriors in Peony.’ As he turned to leave he stopped and turned back, that oily, smug smile still on his face.   
‘Be careful, Clare,’ he said. ‘There are so many dangerous creatures about these days.’  
When he was gone Teresa and I walked to Peony in silence. I’d never fought an Awakened being before, although Teresa had done her best to prepare me.   
In the morning we’d find out if she’d succeeded. 

***

Clare and Teresa travel from village to village, never settling anywhere long. Teresa doesn’t bother to hide who she is and every few days she’s asked to rid the village of Yoma. She does as she’s asked and never asks for money, just some shelter and enough food for Clare. One mayor refused her request and she broke his arm. Clare ate the best food of her life that night.   
She gets a reputation as a saint. Saint Teresa, helper of the poor and downtrodden, champion of the humans. She laughs and keeps going.   
And then she gets word that the next town has been plagued with Yoma for six months now. When she asks why no Warriors have come yet, she’d told that the townspeople are waiting for _her._ That many towns are refusing to pay the enormous Organisation fees and instead are waiting for Saint Teresa to save them.   
Teresa is troubled. She knows the Organisation won’t accept this.   
So she leaves Clare with a friendly-looking family and makes her promise to stay put while she investigates. Clare makes Teresa promise that she will return, and Teresa does.   
It’s the first time she’s lied to Clare.   
The Warriors are waiting for her. Number 4, Muscular Sophia. Number 3, Storm-Wind Noel. Number 2, Quicksword Ilena, an old friend/rival of Teresa’s. The fourth warrior is barely more than a child, and one that Teresa hasn’t met. She can’t be much good, and so Teresa ignores her.   
‘We’ve come for your head, Teresa,’ says Ilena.   
‘I’ve been expecting you for months. What took you so long?’  
Teresa was expecting the banter to continue for at least a couple of minutes but the child-warrior suddenly runs forward, her sword aimed straight at Teresa’s neck. Teresa dodges the strike but she loses a lock of her hair. How irritating.   
Ilena hasn’t moved. ‘Priscilla, stop. Traitor or no, Teresa is your superior and she must be treated with respect.’   
Teresa’s heard enough. She has no personal grievance against these warriors but she’s enjoying her new life, and no one will take it from her.   
Besides, she would like to keep her promise to Clare.   
The sounds of four swords against one is so loud the villagers cower in their houses, hands pressed tight against ears as they hide behind closed doors. Teresa finds herself smiling again. It’s nice to fight against people who are almost as strong as she is. She doesn’t have to hold back.   
Priscilla attacks her from behind again and Teresa flicks the annoying gnat away with a sniff of contempt. These four won’t be as easy as the last group sent to kill her. She’ll have to use some of her yoma power. Ugh.   
She closes her eyes and then opens them with a gasp. She feels strangely off-balance, lighter on her right side than her left.   
In front of her stands Ilena, looking uncomfortable. She holds Teresa’s right arm, still dripping blood.   
‘Rubel will have the girl by now. Let’s go,’ she says, turning her back.   
All four Warriors turn and leave. Teresa tries to follow them but there’s an odd ringing in her ears. She takes one step, and then another, and the last thing she remembers is her face rubbing against the dirt.

***

Rubel’s instructions to me were to wait in a small storehouse just off of the main square. I thought I’d be the first to arrive but three other warriors were already there, waiting for me.   
When the door swung shut behind me I opened my mouth to speak but the woman across from me stood up and spoke first.   
‘We should introduce ourselves. Please state your name and rank, and whether or not you’ve fought an Awakened being before. My name is Miria, Number 6 in the Organisation, and this will be the seventh time I’ve fought an Awakened Beings.’  
She sits back down again, and the woman on her left smirks.   
‘Hey, I’m Helen, number 22, and I’ve fought one Awakened being.’  
‘I’m Deneve, number 16, and I’ve fought two Awakened beings.’  
‘My name is Clare, I’m ranked fif- ninth in the Organisation, and I’ve never fought an Awakened being.’   
Deneve and Miria don’t blink, but Helen sits bolt upright at this news.   
_‘Never?_ I thought you had to kill at least three Awakened beings before you became a single digit! What the hell?’  
Miria is shaking her head. ‘Helen, settle down. You all need to conserve your energy for tomorrow. There are rumours that the Awakened Being we’ll be fighting was the former Number 1, Teresa of the Faint Smile. Someone matching her description has been seen in the nearby woods.’  
I twitch at the name and then force myself to be still. If someone had spotted Teresa, I had to warn her to run. As I plan how, I see Deneve looking at me intently.   
‘For now, let’s get some sleep, and eat if you need to. We’re staying at the hotel across the square, Number 9.’ Miria leaves, and the rest of us stare at each other, unwilling to break the silence. I wanted to be the last to leave so I could warn Teresa, but this is getting silly.   
As I stand to leave there’s a blur and Deneve is standing in front of me. Despite myself, I’m impressed. I didn’t even sense her.   
‘I know where I’ve heard your name now,’ she says quietly, one hand on her sword hilt. She hasn’t drawn it — yet — but I’m prepared for any coming violence. Behind her, Helen’s blood is rising and she’s grinning at me, clearly enjoying herself.   
‘You’re the child that Teresa kept as a pet. The one who was killed. Her flesh and blood were put inside you, instead of Yoma like the rest of us got.’  
‘If Teresa died to give me her flesh,’ I said calmly, ‘then she can’t be the Awakened One we’re hunting.’   
Deneve slowly lowers her hand, and Helen looks confused. ‘There’s no way that story’s true,’ says Helen. ‘She’s Number _9,_ Deneve! No way could she be a quarter Yoma!’   
The Warrior in front of me nods and takes a step back. Her eyes hold mine the entire time until I blink and turn away, leaving the warehouse and heading for the hotel. I make myself promise not to go near Teresa or the woods tonight. She’s strong enough and smart enough to look after herself.   
It isn’t until I’m in my room at the inn that I feel Miria move away from the warehouse. She was standing directly outside the whole time, no doubt listening to every word that was said.   
I can’t trust any of my comrades. 

***

Regrowing her arm isn’t easy: Teresa’s an offensive type, and the pain of losing Clare hurt her more than a missing limb ever could.  
She knows by now it’s too late, that Clare has been taken and turned into something like Teresa: half-human and half-monster, hated by everyone except their own comrades.   
Teresa is good, but even she’s not strong enough to take on every Warrior in the Organisation, and she doesn’t know how many are there. She can’t get close enough without anyone sensing her, so she does the next best thing: repressing her aura while she trains and become stronger.   
She’s there for years, honing her strength and hiding from everyone. There’s a close call when she’s almost spotted by a warrior with a single eye and her aura repressed almost completely, but Teresa dodges her just in time and heads deeper into the woods, waiting.   
And then the day arrives. Teresa has been checking the Organisation once a week, spying on the trainees and Warriors alike.  
A young woman steps outside, shifting her shoulders like she isn’t used to the weight of her claymore. Her hair is much shorter than Teresa remembers, and her face is cold and stern, as blank and pretty as a doll.   
Teresa’s heart breaks even as it overflows with pride. She feels a brief pang for her old uniform, wonders what it would be like if she and Clare could wear them together, side by side, facing any threat that came their way.   
She stands, a real smile on her face. 

***

The trek through the woods is easy enough and I don’t spot any signs of Teresa. As we walk we can all hear the sound of a fellow Warrior fighting something powerful, most likely the Awakened Being. Miria doesn’t have to tell us to move faster: we decide, as one, to start running.   
There’s a valley up ahead surrounded by sheer rock walls. Fighting at the bottom are Teresa and an Awakened Being, an eight-limbed creature that scuttles about like a hideous, over-sized spider.   
I know how strong she is. I’ve seen her face down terrible monsters without her eyes even changing from silver to gold. But I can’t help my instinctive feeling of fear coursing through me at the sight of her facing down this monster. She looks so frail, so delicate, and the creature she’s fighting is huge and scaly, all of its movements subtly _wrong_ as it scurries around her, probing for a weak spot.   
Teresa doesn’t have any, except for me. And I can take care of myself.   
I spring into action, half a second behind the others. I’d wondered about Helen’s black arm and leg coverings until I saw her put them to use, keeping her pale skin covered as she hyper-extends her arm. It weaves between the yoma’s legs until she’s got him tangled.   
‘Now!’ she shouts, and Miria and Deneve jump high into the air, their swords aimed for the creature’s neck. He shouts and something like a tongue bursts from his mouth, dripping saliva. Miria twists in midair to avoid it but Deneve isn’t so lucky, taking the brunt of the attack and losing an arm in the process. I didn’t like her much, but I didn’t want her to go through _this._   
Teresa and I hack at its legs, taking them out one by one. Miria darts about, distracting it and taking the brunt of its attack, moving so quickly his tongue appears to move right through her. With a cry, Helen cuts it off and Teresa takes off his head, a faint smile on her face.   
We sink to the ground, fighting for breath, while Teresa looks like she’s been taking a casual stroll. We smile at each other, before I remember my dead comrade. I turn and see Deneve already standing, her arm growing back, skin covering muscle covering bone.   
‘How are you doing that?’ asks Miria, quietly.   
Deneve shrugs, with two unblemished shoulders. ‘I’ve always been a quick healer. And a few months ago I almost awakened while on a mission, but I managed to pull myself back at the last moment. Ever since then I’ve been a lot stronger.’   
Helen looks uncomfortable. ‘Something similar happened to me too. I almost turned, but when I managed not to I found I could stretch my limbs more times than I could before.’   
Miria nods, staring at Teresa. ‘The Organisation told us you were dead,’ she said. ‘And then they sent us, three warriors who almost awakened and your former protege, to defeat a male Awakened Being, who should have been killed long ago.’  
Teresa is smiling. ‘You sound like you doubt the Organistion.’  
‘I’ve doubted them for some time,’ replies Miria.   
Helen and Deneve nod silently in agreement. Miria turns to me.   
‘I think we should talk,’ she says.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't think of a way for Teresa to be alive and still be with the Organisation. So I wrote this instead. I hope you like it.


End file.
